USA > Vermont > The Lake Champlain and Lake George valleys, Vol. III > Part 45
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years in the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, in which order he is Past Noble Grand of Chester Lodge, No. 514, and Past District Deputy Grand Master. He married, on June 22, 1898, Susan P. Smith, who was born on September 3, 1876, at Chestertown, daughter of John H. and Abigail (Hoyt) Smith.
Mark H. Fish, their son, was educated in the public schools of Chester- town and also attended high school, then established his present business, in 1923. He carries a complete line of newspapers and periodicals, in addition to a variety of merchandise, and enjoys the distinction of operating the oldest enterprise of its kind in the town. Mr. Fish's successful business career has brought him an established position in the life of Chestertown and his influ- ence has been extended through many civic connections. He is secretary of the Chestertown Volunteer Fire Company ; is active in the Chamber of Com- merce ; and has been prominent in Republican politics, serving for three years as Republican committeeman. He has also been much interested in the Boy Scout movement. In this connection he was scoutmaster at Chestertown for a number of years and for fifteen years served as a member of District No. 3, Mohegan Council.
Mr. Fish is affiliated fraternally with Chester Lodge, No. 514, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and in the same order is a member and Past Patriarch of Floral Encampment. By virtue of his descent from the Revolutionary patriot, Jonathan Fish, he is a member of Ticonderoga Chapter of the Sons of the Revolution. He has always valued the fine traditions which he inherits from the Nation's past and has made a hobby of genealogical study. Mr. Fish attends the Community Church in Chestertown.
GEORGE F. BISSELL-Director, secretary and treasurer of Sta- tion WMFF, National Broadcasting Company's Plattsburg outlet, George F. Bissell has been active in radio broadcasting as an executive for more than ten years now and is one of the outstanding radio men of Northern New York State.
George F. Bissell was born at Tupper Lake, Franklin County, May 29, 1904, son of Bramon W. and Cora (Goodspeed) Bissell. Bramon W. Bissell, now an officer of Station WMFF in Plattsburg, established himself in the hotel business at Tupper Lake and spent many years at the Iroquois Hotel there. Cora (Goodspeed) Bissell, his first wife, a native of Port Henry, Essex County, is deceased. Bramon W. Bissell married (second) Jeannette Hewitt, who is a native of Dickinson Center, New York.
After passing through the schools of Tupper Lake and Plattsburg, where he attended high school, George F. Bissell studied at Glens Falls High School and then became associated with his father at the Iroquois Hotel at Tupper Lake. After a year in the hotel business, George F. Bissell became interested
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in radio broadcasting and in 1928 established Station WHDL, a station now operating at Olean, Cattaraugus County, New York. Shortly, however, Mr. Bissell disposed of his interest in Station WHDL and, after a period of activity at Glens Falls, came to Plattsburg in 1934 and organized Station WMFF, an enterprise with which he has been associated through the present time, contributing greatly to its development. The station, whose first pro- gram went on the air on February 3, 1935, from its present studio in the Cumberland Hotel, began as a hundred watt unit restricted to day-time broad- casting but was shortly increased to two hundred and fifty-watt power and, since 1937, has been licensed for full-time operation and, became on May I, 1938, the hundred and fifty-first outlet for the National Broadcasting Com- pany, serving Northern New York State over the system's national hook-up. A member of the Plattsburg Episcopal Church, Mr. Bissell belongs to Mt. Arab Lodge, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, Plattsburg Lodge, Benevo- lent and Protective Order of Elks, and the Plattsburg Kiwanis Club.
George F. Bissell married Marie Velenze, a native of Rouses Point, Clin- ton County, who received her education in the public schools of that frontier town.
RALPH G. LILLY-Principal of the Willsboro High School, Ralph G. Lilly is one of the leading secondary school educators and executives in Essex County, having held his present office for more than ten years.
Ralph G. Lilly was born at Ashfield, Massachusetts, April 2, 1904, son of Clifford N. and Louisa (Guilford) Lilly. Clifford N. Lilly, who was born at Ashfield, Massachusetts, established himself in life as a farmer, a calling in which he has remained active for many years. Louisa (Guilford) Lilly, his wife, is also a native of Ashfield.
After passing through Sanderson Academy at Ashfield, Ralph G. Lilly entered Middlebury College, at Middlebury, Vermont, and graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Science as a member of the class of 1926. Since that time, he has continued his academic work and has received the degree of Master of Arts from Columbia University, awarded in 1934. Upon gradua- tion from Middlebury, Mr. Lilly began his career as an educator by obtaining a position as principal and teacher of history in the Union School at Middle Granville, New York. After a year in that position, Mr. Lilly was appointed principal of the Willsboro High School in 1927, a position which he has occupied through the present time. Supporting his profession by membership in the New York State Teachers' Association, the Secondary School Princi- pals' Association, and the Associated Academic Principals Association, Mr. Lilly is also active in Beta Kappa Fraternity, serving as president of the Middlebury College Chapter while he was in residence there. He is also a member of the Masonic Order, belonging to Morning Sun Lodge of Conway, Massachusetts.
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Ralph G. Lilly married Kathryn Frisbie, a native of Brooklyn, New York, who, after graduating from the Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn, at- tended Adelphi College in that city. Mr. and Mrs. Lilly are the parents of a son : Robert Frisbie, born at Willsboro.
CHARLES MASON NICHOLSON; MARY E. (NICHOLSON) VAN TROY-Mrs. Mary E. (Nicholson) Van Troy is widely known in the East for her connection with the antique and modern furniture business in Ballston Spa, New York. Her father, Charles Mason Nicholson, deserves a place on the roster of the honored dead of New York, if for no other reason than the service he rendered his country during the War Between the States.
Charles Mason Nicholson was a native of West Fort Ann, New York, son of John and Mary (Swift) Nicholson. His father long was engaged in mining iron from mines near Fort Ann, which were in the Glens Falls section of New York State. The boy was educated in Washington County schools, and at first was a carpenter by trade, but later became associated with his father in business. Few incidents of the War Between the States are better known, or considered of higher importance than the fight between the "Moni- tor" and the "Merrimac." Charles Mason Nicholson comes into the picture by reason of his connection with the building of the "Monitor." This craft was an experiment, the first turreted man-of-war ever to be constructed. It was essential that the metal armor of the ship should be of the finest grade, and it was eventually decided to use Nicholson iron for this purpose. The victory of the "Monitor" at Hampton Roads needs no re-statement. It saved the Union fleet from ultimate destruction.
Charles Mason Nicholson also took his place in the Union armies, enlisting from the town of Fort Ann as a member of Company D, 23d Regiment of New York Volunteer Infantry. He never fully recovered from the effects of his military service.
Mr. Nicholson married twice : (first) to Charlotte Wicks, by whom he had three children: I. Minnie. 2. Charlotte ("Lottie"). 3. Lena. He married (second) Jane Ann Morrison, daughter of Ira B. and Mary (Gray) Morri- son, and they were the parents of three children. 4. Edward. 5. Townley. 6. Mary E., of whom further.
Mary E. Nicholson married Frederick Van Troy, in 1921, at the Episcopal Church in Ballston Spa, New York. Her husband, a native of Belgium, had come to the United States at the age of twenty-one. To a great many he was known as an expert in furniture, whether of construction, antiquity or suit- ableness for the service required of it. Mr. Van Troy died on December 29, 1936, at the age of sixty-five years. Since that time Mary E. (Nicholson) Van Troy has continued the business established by her husband, and has achieved a most noteworthy success.
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WENDELL TOWNLEY-One of the leading merchants of Ballston Spa, having conducted a hardware store for nearly forty years, Wendell Townley is also an outstanding citizen of his community having always taken an active part in many undertakings, especially the Ballston Spa Fire Depart- ment, of which he is an ex-chief.
Wendell Townley was born in Troy, June 19, 1884, son of Edward and Carrie Eliza (Wendell) Townley. Edward Townley, who was born near Burnt Hills, was engaged in the real estate business in Schenectady for many years and chairman of the board of assessors of the city of Schenectady. After his retirement, he lived for a time in Troy, New York, and now lives in Burnt Hills, Saratoga County. The Townley family came to America from Berkshire, England.
After passing through the grade schools of Schenectady and graduating from the high school there in 1900, Wendell Townley began his business career in Schenectady as an employee of General Electric Company, working in the blue print department, and then in the drafting department. While thus employed he completed an International Correspondence School course in accounting and practiced his profession for some time. Then, in 1902, Mr. Townley came to Ballston Spa and worked for T. R: Townley in a hard- ware store until 1920, when he purchased the business which he has conducted successfully through the present time. Always deeply interested in the welfare of his community, Mr. Townley has given liberally of his time and energy to various public offices and civic enterprises. One of his first services was joining, in 1904, the Ballston Spa Fire Department, an organization to which he has belonged for some thirty-five years and of which he is now ex-chief. In addition to being a justice of the peace, and having served for several years as a deputy sheriff, Mr. Townley was very active in civic work during the depths of the depression, being chairman of the local Emergency Relief Administration organization in 1933 and 1934 and, in 1935, being the man- ager and chairman of the National Relief Service for Saratoga County under the direction of the United States Department of Labor. In this latter office, which Mr. Townley conducted with conspicuous efficiency, discharging his duties impartially without any political bias, he placed more than seven thousand men and women in employment. In addition to being a member of the Ballston Spa Rotary Club, Mr. Townley has been secretary for ten years of the Kaydeross Fish and Game Club and, for a similar period, secretary of the Inverwood Hunting Club. Belonging to the Milton Grange, Mr. Townley is also a prominent Mason, being a member of Franklin Lodge, No. 9, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, of Saratoga Springs, Washington Commandery, Knights Templar, and Cypress Temple, Ancient Arabic Order, Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, of Albany. Mr. Townley is a member of the Ballston
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to Saratoga County, New York, as a young man and established himself as a farmer, an occupation which he followed until the time of his death. Estella P. (Cady) Bumstead, his wife, also deceased, was a native of Greenfield, Saratoga County.
After passing through the public schools of Greenfield, and attending the Saratoga High School, Arthur I. Bumstead attended Albany Business College. For some years Mr. Bumstead was employed as a bookkeeper, an occupation which he followed until 1911 when he was appointed as an assistant to County Treasurer John K. Walbridge, a position he held nearly eight years-from February 20, 19II, to December 31, 1918. At that time, Mr. Bumstead was made deputy county treasurer for County Treasurer Will W. Blackmer, a post he occupied for nine years, serving until December 31, 1927, when he resigned. On March 1, 1928, he accepted a position as assistant to McQueen Fritcher, county treasurer of Montgomery County, New York. Mr. Bum- stead resigned from his office in Montgomery County on December 31, 1932, to assume office as treasurer of Saratoga County, to which post he had been elected in November, 1932, serving as such through to the present time; having been reelected for the third time on November 8, 1938, by a plurality of 11,914.
In addition to his official duties and responsibilities, Mr. Bumstead serves as secretary and treasurer of the Greenridge Cemetery Association and also as president and a director of the Saratoga Athenaeum (Library), as well as being chairman of the board of deacons of the First Baptist Church of Saratoga Springs. Belonging to the Lions' Club of Saratoga Springs, Mr. Bumstead also is interested in Masonry, having been the chaplain of St. John's Lodge, No. 22, Free and Accepted Masons, of Greenfield Center. He is also a member and officer of St. John's Chapter, Royal Arch Masons, and of Cryptic Council, Royal and Select Masters, of Saratoga Springs and also a member of Albany Consistory, Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite. Mr. Bumstead finds recreation from his official duties in his twin hobbies; his home and garden. His interest in historical research is served by his member- ship in the Saratoga Historical Society. Mr. Bumstead is also a member of the Grange, Patrons of Husbandry, having received the National Grange degree at Hartford, Connecticut, in 1934.
Arthur I. Bumstead married, in 1912, Gertrude U. Boller, who is a native of Albany. Mr. and Mrs. Bumstead are the parents of three children: I. John C., a graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, class of 1935, where he received the degree of Civil Engineer, and who is now associated with the office of Samuel J. Mott, Saratoga Springs. 2. Marjorie A., a graduate of Skidmore College, class of 1938, where she received the degree of Bachelor of Science. 3. Roger C.
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I. HASSBROOK CHAHOON-President of the J. and J. Rogers Company of Au Sable Forks, New York, I. Hassbrook Cahoon, of Au Sable Forks is not only one of the outstanding industrial executives of Northern New York but is also prominent in the life of Essex County as a banker and business man as well as being distinguished in his community as a public servant.
I. Hassbrook Chahoon was born at Au Sable Forks, Essex County, May 14. 1874, son of George Chahoon, one of the leading residents of Essex County and, in his generation, a prominent paper manufacturer, being presi- dent of the J. and J. Rogers Company from 1929 through 1934.
After passing through the grammar schools of Au Sable Forks and gradu- ating from the Au Sable Forks High School, I. Hassbrook Chahoon followed his father into the paper business, starting his association with the J. and J. Rogers Company by finding a minor place in the company's pulp mill. From this beginning, Mr. Chahoon advanced rapidly through various positions in the several departments of the business until he was elected the secretary of the company, being made the president of the organization in 1934. Thus one of the leading paper industrialists, Mr. Chahoon is also active in other fields, being a director of the Delaware and Hudson Railroad and serving as presi- dent of the Au Sable Credit Corporation, as well as president of the Platts- burg National Bank, an office which he has held since 1928, and chairman of the board of directors of the Plattsburg National Bank and Trust Company, a post to which he was elected in 1937.
During the World War, Mr. Chahoon served as chairman of Draft Board No. 2 of Clinton County. A Republican in political life, Mr. Chahoon has always taken a deep interest in community and county concerns and for six years served as supervisor of the town of Black Brook, Essex County. A member of the Au Sable Forks Episcopal Church, which he serves as a war- den, Mr. Chahoon, who finds recreation from his business responsibilities and obligations by indulgence in his favorite sports of golf, hunting and fishing, belongs to Tahawus Lodge, No. 790, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, and Plattsburg Lodge, No. 621, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks.
I. Hassbrook Chahoon married, in 1909, Margaret Ramsey, who is a native of Howes Cave, New York.
PERCY EGGLEFIELD-Percy Egglefield, sheriff of Essex County, and a well-known figure in local civic activities, was born in Keene, New York, June 9, 1897, the son of the late Wilbur Burt and Emma (Luedeau) Egglefield. Wilbur Burt Egglefield, also a native of Keene, engaged for several years in the hotel and livery business, and later followed general farm work. He afterwards became identified with the automobile business, and
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became Elizabethtown agent for the Ford Automobile, holding the first Ford Agency in Essex County. Emma (Luedeau) Egglefield was born in Burling- ton, Vermont.
Percy Egglefield received his elementary and high school education in the Keene public schools, and then worked on a farm for approximately four years. He then entered the garage business, and was successfully engaged in this activity for twelve years, disposing of his business interests in 1928, upon his appointment as under sheriff of Essex County. He served in this capacity for nine years, and then in 1937, due to his faithful service in this office, he was elected to his present post as sheriff, in which capacity he has served most efficiently to the present, being highly regarded in this locality for his strict performance of the many duties connected with this important county office. In 1939 he received the Republican county committee nomina- tion for another term, this being the first time a sheriff could succeed himself.
He is a member of the Methodist Church, a staunch Republican, and a member of the Essex County Volunteer Fire Company, the Essex County Driving Club and the New York State Sheriffs Association.
He was married, in 1921, to Katherine Poole, a native of Jay, New York, and they are the parents of two sons: I. John Harrison. 2. Robert William.
MARTIN W. BREWSTER, JR .- Since his admission to the New York bar in 1931, Martin W. Brewster, Jr., has devoted himself to the respon- sibilities of his profession. He is now engaged in practice at Lake Placid, New York, where he is active at the local bar and in civic and social life.
Mr. Brewster was born at Lake Placid on July 8, 1904, son of Martin W. and Margaret (O'Neil) Brewster. Benjamin T. Brewster, grandfather of Martin W. Brewster, Jr., was one of the first two settlers in what is now Lake Placid. His father, who was born in the town of North Elba, Essex County, New York, on August 29, 1865, has been prominent at Lake Placid for many years. He has been engaged in real estate development, is a former director of the Bank of Lake Placid, village trustee and town assessor. Mar- garet (O'Neil) Brewster, who is also still living, is a native of Wilmington, New York.
Martin W. Brewster, Jr., was educated in the public schools of Lake Placid and after completing the high school course, spent one year at Holy Cross College. He then transferred to Williams College, where he was graduated in 1925 with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. He prepared for his profession at New York University Law School, taking the degree of Doctor of Jurisprudence in 1929. In his school days he made a notable record in athletics and has always retained his fondness for sports. He is a former national and international speed skating champion, was intercollegiate cham-
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pion in the 440-yard sprint and Williams College golf champion. While in law school he was president of Varick House Dormitory and demonstrated his aptitude for his chosen vocation by winning first prize for proficiency in practice before the New York University Moot Court.
After taking his degree at New York University, he served his clerkship in the law office of Butler, Kilmer, Hoey and Butler at Saratoga Springs, New York, and in 1931 was admitted to the New York State bar. Afterward he was associated with John B. Smith, district attorney of Saratoga County, and in 1933 returned to Lake Placid, where he entered the practice of law. He has since continued independently, with offices now located at No. 99 Main Street. Mr. Brewster's qualifications for a successful professional career have led to growing demands upon his services. In addition to his own prac- tice he has served, since 1936, as village attorney of the village of Lake Placid. He has also been active in Republican politics and for one term was Repub- lican town committeeman in Saratoga Springs.
Mr. Brewster is a member of the Essex County Bar Association and the New York State Bar Association and admitted to practice in the Federal Court for the Northern District of New York. He is affiliated with Saratoga Lodge, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks; is a member of the Lake Placid Chamber of Commerce and the Kiwanis Club; past president of the Williams Outing Club; a member of the Delta Phi and Phi Delta Phi fra- ternities ; and a member and past president of the Lake Placid High School Alumni Association. In 1934-35 he was chairman of the Lake Placid Athletic Club Skating Committee and at the present time is secretary of the Lake Placid Speed Skating Association and vice-president of the Northern New York Speed Skating Association. These connections reflect his continued interest in speed skating, in which he has excelled since his youth. He has also continued his fondness for golf and is now golf champion of the Lake Placid Country Club. Mr. Brewster has been active in the Boy Scout move- ment and other youth organizations, having served as general chairman of Lake Placid Council of the Boy Scouts of America. His principal recreations are outdoor sports, particularly skating and golf, his work with the boys of the community and county and the study of local history. Mr. Brewster is a Catholic in religious faith and attends St. Agnes' Church at Lake Placid.
He married, in 1934, Margaret Spindler, who was born in Brooklyn, New York.
LEWIS HENRY RISING-One of Ticonderoga's widely known and popular citizens, Lewis Henry Rising has participated extensively in the city's affairs and is esteemed as a contributor to the welfare of the people here.
Mr. Rising was born July 5, 1892, at Horicon, New York, son of Henry Rufus and Delia (Ross) Rising and grandson on the paternal side of his house
ESSEX COUNT
Termino N. Fueing
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of Rufus Rising, who lived and died in Hague and was a farmer there. The inaternal grandfather, Sylvester Montague Ross, was a son of Amos Ross and a descendant, according to family records, of Betsy Ross. On the father's side of the house Lewis Henry Rising's grandmother was Mary (Clancy) Rising. Henry Rufus Rising, the father, was born November 4, 1861, at Hague, and Delia (Ross) Rising, the mother, was born May 19, 1861, at Horicon, New York.
The schools of his native district provided Lewis Henry Rising's early education, and he completed his studies in Ticonderoga and Putnam, New York, then went to the Agricultural School, in Randolph, Vermont, finishing his formal education in Morrisville, New York. In 1930 he was graduated from the National College of Massage and Physical Therapy, though that came after long years of work along other lines, and in 1933 he took post- graduate work at the same institution of learning. Until 1917 he was engaged in farming activities. Then he enlisted for World War service to his country, after which he worked as supervisor of official tests under Cornell University, six years; afterward taking up dairy farming. For two and one-half years he was foreman, and for three years he worked on his father's farm. Then, taking up his present work, he had special training in different barber shops in Albany, New York, and Cleveland, afterward going to Chicago and com- pleting special courses of study in massage and physical therapy, as noted above. His work along these lines has been noteworthy, and he is respected, honored and trusted wherever he is known.
Politically he is a Republican. He worships in the faith of the Baptist Church. He is a member of the American Legion, and formerly held all the principal offices in this organization, of which he is now chaplain. During the World War he served for eighteen months in the United States Navy with the rank of seaman, first class. For four years he also served in the National Guard of New York State, in which he rose from corporal to senior sergeant.
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